The Burned-Over District is a term used by some to describe the region of Western New York in the historical period of 1800-1850. It is also sometimes called the Second Great Awakening with a combination of religious, social and political elements.

Either American whites have always lagged behind their black fellow-citizens in intellectual achievement, or, as Mr. Sailer suggests, "This phenomenon appears to be tied into propagandizing schoolchildren in K-12."